A Surfeit of Guns

Sir Robert Carey's adventures in the late Sixteenth Century are set in the reign of Elizabeth I. Characters are well developed. They have a jolly time. Guns disappear and reappear. The guns work and do not work. But alls well that ends well. I did need to gather a glossary of Elizabethan fashion terms to fully understand all the nuances of clothing going on and coming off. That internet exercise only added to the fun.

Sir Robert Carey is the perfect swashbuckler - with empty pockets and enough craft to be more than cardboard. Even years at Elizabeth's court have not prepared him for the treachery and double dealing on the English/Scottish Borders. A marvellous chase after stolen guns and more involvement with his strait laced, married love season a plot filled with the sights, sounds and smells of the 16th Century. Let down a little by the poor binding of this edition, as pages fall out after a couple of readings.

I have now read all three of P.F. Chisholm's novels chronicling the adventures of Sir Robert Carey, "the Elizabethan detective" and I await with the next installment with anticipation. Based on a real historical figure in the 16th century, Sir Robert Cary is part Cary Grant, part Harrison Ford, a charming courtier who, despite being a cousin of Queen Elizabeth, has trouble staying out of debt and on the right side of the law. All three books in the series are highly readable and recommended for fans of historical fiction, as well as anyone interested in the Anglo-Scottish border "troubles" of the 16th century.